MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin school cafeterias were covered in cow spots this spring with the Wisconsin Dairy Council's new, "Change Your Spots with Milk", school breakfast promotion.
Over 600 schools implemented complimentary Dairy Council materials including aprons, breakfast bags, inflatable cows and menu boards to promote school breakfast. School nutrition professionals submitted online photos showcasing their cow-spotted promotions for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,500 in cold milk equipment. Twelve school photos were selected for an online voting contest. With the option to share the contest on social media channels, contest participation yielded over 25,000 votes.
The winning schools with the most online votes include:
- Grand Prize: $1,500 cold milk equipment
Holmen Middle School, Holmen School District, Holmen, WI - Second Prize: $1,000 cold milk equipment
Marshall Middle School, Janesville School District, Janesville, WI - Third Prize: $500 cold milk equipment
Allenton Elementary School, Slinger School District, Allenton, WI
The promotion was funded by the dairy farm families of Wisconsin, to build excitement for school breakfast during National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6) and make milk more fun at school. Schools were encouraged to decorate their cafeterias with cow spots, provide student incentives, sample new recipes and hold student contests throughout the promotion.
National studies indicate that eating breakfast helps kids concentrate and achieve their classroom goals. “By promoting school breakfast we can help students get a nutritious start to the day, and supply them with one-fourth of their recommended daily allowances,” explains Laura Wilford, director of the Wisconsin Dairy Council. “School breakfasts are healthy, nutritious meals that provide a variety of foods including low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt that give 174,000 Wisconsin students the fuel needed to start the day.”
To learn more about the benefits of school breakfast and to view the contest-winning school photos visit WisconsinDairyCouncil.com/breakfast. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a nonprofit organization funded by the dairy farmers of Wisconsin, promotes the consumption of milk and other dairy products. The Wisconsin Dairy Council is the nutrition education department of WMMB.
Photos are available upon request.